Jeremaias Auromere
"You cannot compromise principle. It is either applicable always, or applicable never. It is not something to which you commit only when it is convenient--unless, of course, you want to raise an evil overlord." History Childhood and Adolescence Jeremaias Dominic Auromere was born to Baron Ezekias and Lady Anna Auromere at their estate in Lordaeron. Unlike the average hero, he is not the oldest and therefore the heir apparent to title and fortune, nor is he the third son and therefore destined to marry a princess by being foolish but deserving. He has to settle for being the second of two boys, for which there is no significant fate laid out by fairy tales. His childhood was disrupted by the arrival of the Scourge. The Auromeres escaped alive, but lost everything except a few assorted articles they managed to take with them. They resettled in Southshore, and Ezekias began to scratch out a living for his family through trade. Marcus, who came of age shortly after arriving, took a job in the Azurelode Mine, where he ended his career as a shift supervisor. Jere dabbled in many pursuits, poking his nose into every corner of knowledge he was allowed, and continued his knightly education as much as he could. At 14, he was "called" (as he would always put it) to ministry; he took the channel available, which was to travel to Stormwind and begin training as a priest. This was not disagreeable to him, because he now dreamt of being a simple country pastor--and of marrying Selene Branson, a somewhat older girl from Southshore with whom he was quite taken. Both of these dreams, however, would be derailed. Selene did not reciprocate his tentative affections, preferring (and marrying) Marcus. Worse yet, his overclocked sense of chivalry and honor drove him to fistfights with his fellow acolytes, which he usually won rather decisively. He was nearly expelled for his pugilistic approach to conflict resolution. To this day, Jere is not sure who was behind his transfer to paladin training, but it was there that he flourished. A Self-Made Man Upon "graduating" to active service in 34 L.C., Jere signed up with the First Regiment of the Stormwind Army. He would not call his career brilliant, despite reforming the way the regiment would handle crime investigations and rising quickly to the rank of sergeant. However, the Cult of Ner'zhul was a constant irritation to Jeremaias. When Hal'desh managed to escape captivity one evening, Jere concluded that more permanent ways to handle a demon needed to be discovered. He resigned from the First Regiment in order to pursue an avenue of possibility: crystals. Reasoning suggested to him that fel, being energy, might be cancelled by the application of other energies and wavelengths. He thus began a journey around Azeroth and Outland, studying under draenei jewelers, inspecting silithid hives, and trying to apply what he learned to the handling of demons. While he was working in Tanaris, he was approached by Lord Zacherias "Felbane" Hamlin of the Felbane Irregulars. Zacherias had already recruited two of Jere's former comrades--Tolath Barthalomew and Archbald Marren--and they had recommended Jere. Jere gave Zacherias a brief rundown of his pet theory and, although disappointed that the former Argent Dawn Templar's lack of interest in the mechanics, joined the Irregulars. When the Irregulars' work was done, Jere and Tolath started a new organization--the Order of the Silver Shield--to help combat the moral decay of the world. On a More Personal Note... Now firmly established in the world, Jeremaias began to think about whether he should marry. This question, though, was answered for him rather suddenly. His parents had arranged a marriage for him with Neraine Barthalomew--the younger sister of his friend Tolath. Jeremaias, who was accustomed to thinking of himself as a cosmic chew toy, naturally took offense at the fact that he had not been informed of the negotiations, much less been consulted. He knew, though, that refusing to go through with the marriage would not only make his parents look dishonorable, but would insult the Barthalomews and leave him unhappy anyway, so he began a correspondence with Neraine. As it turned out, his not being consulted was a result of a tremendous misunderstanding (everyone involved thought someone else had told him), and Neraine and her father offered to release him from the arrangement. Under Zacherias' advice, Jere suggested that the marriage simply be delayed, and chose to "own" the situation by doing things his own way. He started writing ridiculously overblown, purple-prose letters in the style of "courtly love", with postscripts that eventually reflected his actual thoughts in more normal language. Neraine endeared herself to Jere by catching on to what he was doing, and in short order, they were married. Jere and Neraine are now the proud parents of a little girl, and another child is on the way. They are also raising Jere's nephew Nicholas, who was orphaned when the Forsaken plagued Southshore. Character Analysis Jeremaias presents a cool, dispassionate exterior. He does not typically show emotions, and his speech is formal, littered with five-syllable words and jargon, and usually stilted. His manners are excellent, he has an appreciation for the arts, and his physical appearance is impeccable. He can take in and assimilate knowledge unusually quickly, and has a basic knowledge of almost any topic. He has a very detailed memory, is good at visualization, and is relentlessly logical. He plays the violin well, and knows a great deal more about music history and theory than one would expect from a sword-slinger. His mind is never idle; he forms complicated theories about everything from physics to theology to philosophy. (His mental ramblings have led him to conclude that there is a God, although he is not entirely clear on who this God is or what is expected.) However, with great intelligence comes great psychological issues. Jere suffers from textbook Social Anxiety Disorder. He is invariably a wallflower, and when approached cannot relax and interact normally. He can force himself to engage in social activity, but only by falling back on the forms and conventions of etiquette. (As most people don't know anymore how to respond to that, it makes him feel even more isolated.) He believes everyone around him judges him as harshly as he judges himself, and feels constantly under pressure to achieve perfection. He tends to interpret people's attitudes toward him, voiced and otherwise, in that light, which leads him to think that nobody respects him because he is defective. If you value your sanity, don't ever ask him about his research. He will bury you in technobabble. Category:Alliance Category:Alliance Paladin Category:Human Category:Human Paladin Category:Jewelcrafter Category:Male